


A Mother's Love

by conceptofzero



Category: Homestuck
Genre: Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-01-14
Updated: 2015-01-14
Packaged: 2018-03-07 13:22:27
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 777
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3174798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/conceptofzero/pseuds/conceptofzero
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>A mother will do whatever is best for her children. Best does not always mean kindest.</p>
            </blockquote>





	A Mother's Love

**Author's Note:**

  * For [mariasaurio](https://archiveofourown.org/users/mariasaurio/gifts).



The human child stands on the dock looking out over the coloured waters of the Land of Light and Rain. The boat that was tied there is long gone, and only a lukewarm martini and a bit of rope remains. The child needs some explanation, some understanding to help her grasp what has happened here. 

The Windswept Questant has little comfort herself. The console is cold and impersonal. She misses the audiences she held on Prospit. There, her citizens could seek her out and speak with her, standing within arms reach or closer. 

Many times, she had been told that she had a captivating personality, warm and welcoming to all who stood before her. Her people came every chance they could, sometimes waiting for hours to spend even as little as a few minutes with her. She tried to give an audience to all, though some days there were too many and she was forced to address them en masse. Still, even when she spoke to a hundred or more, pressed tight against each other in the throne room, she could feel their relief and their happiness as if it were a physical thing. 

This console allows her to send comforting words, but she knows that words are a tricky thing. It’s hard for them to carry the same warmth. They can’t show the subtle smile on her face or the way she holds a hand forward to be taken and held. Words can be beautiful and wonderful, but it’s so easy for them to turn terrible or to be misunderstood. To a stranger, “You have no reason to fear” may seem dismissive. “You will come to no harm” may be threatening. “Be strong, be brave” can seem impossible. 

The rains fall on the other side of the console screen. It’s always so dry here. The dust and sand get in every crack and when she bends her limbs, she hears the soft grind of it against her shell, lodged deep in every joint. The metal is cold now that the sun has set, but when it rises again, it will be blisteringly hot. Everything here is unpleasant and she wishes she were standing beside the child, letting the warm water wash over them. 

Were she there, she would sit on the dock with the human girl and let her feet linger in the water. She would put an arm around her and hold her close to her side, as she did once with the children who came to visit her. There were so few of them on Prospit and it was always a joy to see them come to court, holding the hands of their proud parents. They learned quickly and they sat so quietly beside her, aware of what it meant to sit on the Queen’s throne with her. Perhaps she would hold her hand and tell the human child about how her mother was doing what she needed to do to protect her. 

The Windswept Questant had done what she needed to in order to protect her people. It had been a hard decision to make to leave, to give her crowns to the Parcel Mistress and to enter exile with only a selection of her castle staff. She had wanted to send for the children and their parents. Come to the docks immediately, the message would have said, bring food and water and what you can carry. But they would have told others. They would have caused a panic. And when Jack came and unleashed his red miles, her ship would have died at dock with all the others. 

She had let millions die to ensure her people would be victorious. It had been necessary. Even now, she could not regret her actions. Time would prove that what she had done had been as important as it has been unavoidable. There would be other children, ones who would know peace and harmony. They would never understand the horrors of war. 

Perhaps they wouldn’t understand why she did it. Perhaps in time, she would be forced to leave her own people again. It pained her to think such thoughts, but they were true. They wouldn’t understand, but it was fine. Even if she never again held a child in her arms or saw her people as they triumphed, it would be fine. It would be worth it. 

Her fingers place themselves on the keyboard. She knows exactly what to say to bring the child some comfort. It is a truth understood by all those who love as a parent does, as a monarch does. 

_A mother will do whatever is best for her children._


End file.
